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Finally. FINALLY! I have moved into my new house. Yes, the self-same one that I have been whinging about for the past seven months. I moved in four weeks ago, and almost the second that I placed the last box into the dining room I caught a foul cold which saw me confined to bed for the next couple of days. Those who know me well, will know I must virtually be at death’s door before I succumb to staying in bed or taking time off work sick, but in typical fashion I spent my annual leave being ill!

The house had that funny smell that houses have when it’s not YOUR smell, you know? Not a bad smell, just not a smell I was used to. I went to bed, alone in the house apart from Tess, and felt like an intruder, a trespasser. All my stuff was still in boxes, the smell wasn’t right, I never believed I would finally be here, yet here I am. In my house. In MY house! I woke in the morning, drew back my blankets covering the windows (I don’t have curtains yet!) and got back into bed. From my two bedroom windows all I can see are the leaves of the trees on the green. I can’t wait to watch them turn yellow and gold as autumn really hits us. Already there are plenty of leaves along the kerbs and in my gutters! Anyway I was already feeling much better about being in the house, and I had a whole day of unpacking to get on with!

First of all I did a tour around my new place. Large dining room, cosy sitting room, horrid gas fires that need replacing. Two good size double rooms and a small room for a study. The kitchen is pretty small but perfectly doable and the bathroom is downstairs. Some work to be done, like painting and putting up shelves, but all in all not bad. The garden is a blank slate. I’ve got a big area earmarked for my veg patch and luckily the previous owners have left a compost bin so I can get cracking with my kitchen waste. The old wash-house is ripe for some TLC, with rotting floors and ceilings plus the front wall starting to sag outwards. I might have moved in just in time!

One of my rules is that as much as possible should be recycled or upcycled. I’m going to try to get second-hand things rather than new, as much as possible. If they need a clean or some love to get them up and running again, so much the better. My experience of moving house last time was that lots of people wanted to give you things for the house and I said yes to everything because I had no money. This time I have been saving hard and I do have some money, but that will go towards getting The Old Wash-house up and running so I can rent it out so not paying full price for things (or gettign them free!) is still the order of the day.

Here is my “beg, borrow or steal” list so far (pics to follow):

Washing machine, four years old. Had two pairs of large mouldy knickers inside it when I bought it. Did a couple of soapy hot water only washes and it’s almost as good as new: £40

Solid oak dining table. Dark brown with wax and polish. Broken hinge and one leaf is split. Replacing the stiff hinge and repairing the split leaf. Have started sanding down the table and it’s a lovely rose-coloured oak underneath: £78

Two oak dressers (one with shelves and one with a glass cabinet). Needs sanding and some bees-wax, maybe change the handles but otherwise fine: free (except for petrol costs to pick it up)

Two compost bins. One left behind and one given by a friend’s family: free

Sloes for sloe gin. Just the time needed to pick them (and the sugar and the gin but soooo worth it for Christmas!): free

Elderberries. I might make a pie with them but currently they are in my freezer: free

Fire logs. Tree surgeons were cutting down a horse-chestnut tree near me. We asked if we could have some of the wood. They said we could take as much as we wanted. Two Subaru Forester car loads (with seats down!) later and we have some sweet-smelling logs ready for cutting up (just need a wood burning stove now!): free